


Like Clockwork

by Costa_Cat



Category: The Walking Dead (TV)
Genre: Angst, Daryl and Judith cuties, Daryl singing, Daryl's Past, Fluff, M/M, Rick watching as Daryl calms Judith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-06
Updated: 2016-05-06
Packaged: 2018-06-06 20:01:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6768073
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Costa_Cat/pseuds/Costa_Cat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Rick had (intentionally) walked into a private moment between Daryl and Judith, and overhears something that he really shouldn't have</p>
            </blockquote>





	Like Clockwork

_'You can't track for shit. And god damn it your footsteps are so fucking loud that even if you could, there would be nothing to track because everything would be miles away after hearing you stomp your way down here.'_

 

_'So teach me how to be silent, and then teach me how to track._

 

_'You're a lost cause Grimes.'_

 

_'Will you at least try, I'd like to know how'_

 

_'Fine'_

 

It had taken weeks (Nope, months) but eventually Daryl Dixon had successfully taught Rick Grimes how to walk making little to no sound. Unsurprisingly Rick had chosen to completely abuse this power by sneaking up on people as often as he could, just so he could laugh his ass off at their faces when he scares the shit out of them, also doubled with the realisation that they had just been sneaked up on by _Rick Grimes,_ it had just made everything so much funnier. Half of the time they had thought it was Daryl (who, annoyingly, was the only person he hadn't managed to sneak up on yet. “Nice try Grimes.” “I know you're there Grimes” “Why are you still trying, it's quite sad.”) but they all knew it couldn't of been him because he's not the type of person to sneak up on someone for the hell of it, Rick however, is.

 

 _There is ups and downs to waking up,_ Rick thinks. On one hand, when he wakes up, his head is pounding, he feels like his teeth are all going to fall out, and even if he he moves his jaw around to try and sooth the feeling it never works. Also whenever he tires to moves his arms or legs they feel so heavy that most of the time it takes him a few minutes before he even attempts to move. But on the other hand, he always wakes up with Daryl's arms wrapped around him, and Judith's soft snores as the perfect background noise. However when he opens his eyes and the world slowly comes into view, he sees that Judith isn't in her crib, and Daryl's arms aren't around him, and he's alone.

 

This is not the first time this has happened, in fact it is the fourth night in a row he has woken up in the middle of the night with Daryl and Judith missing, but this is the first time he has decided to follow him, to try and sneak a peak of two out of three of the most important people on this Earth to him.

 

Daryl holding Judith isn't rare, in fact it's really common, even more so after the both of them had quit fucking around and they had finally gotten together. But Daryl actually talking to her, playing with her, feeding her, and rocking her gently to sleep- that's pretty fucking rare. Rick himself barely sees it, and when he does it's never for the whole time. Daryl has like a 6th sense for when people are looking at him, and when he's with Judith doing something that a father would do (Because let's be honest, he's Judith's second father) that sense intensifies massively. When Rick does catch him, he only sees for a few seconds before Daryl blushes (which is also pretty rare) and before Rick has a chance to say anything Daryl is already making up some excuse on why he has to go and why Judith can't come.

 

The only time Rick had seen a moment like this from the beginning, was in the dead of night. He had woken up but without moving or opening his eyes, a skill he had even before the dead had taken the Earth. Judiths cries always make alarm bells ring everywhere, he doesn't care if it's the smallest little thing, but if Judith is crying he can't help but panic a little, and if he's sleeping he will always wake up. He was just about to move his sleep-heavy body in the direction of where his daughter slept when he heard it. It had only taken him a moment, but it had felt like a life time, lying in his bed trying to figure who was singing and why his little girl had calmed considerably. And then it hit him. Daryl wasn't sleeping next to him. He had gotten up, and sang his little Judy back to sleep, rocking her in tune to his voice. And he was pretty _good_. But what baffled him most about this whole ordeal was the fact that Daryl crawled back into bed after putting Judith back down, and fell right back to sleep, as if he had did this more than once.

 

Which is why, after waking up in the middle of the fourth night, he got up and followed them, because maybe Daryl's guard isn't as strong after he's just woken up.

 

His feet make no noise as he follows the sound of Daryl's soothing voice to the common area. He's standing in the middle of the room, slowing rocking Judith back and forth, his feet swaying as her cries fill the silence around them.

 

Rick's body hidden behind the door, pressed against it, with his hands holding onto the side, his eyes and top of his head is the only thing visible to anyone on the room. If Daryl is to turn around he won't see him.

 

When Daryl does turn around, there is nothing that Rick could of done to prepare himself for what he sees.

 

Daryl fucking Dixon is _crying_. Rick has only ever saw him cry once before, and that was when Merle had died. But he's crying now, silent tears slowing making their way down his face. This man that is damn near everything to Rick, _(_ and if Daryl is okay with it, his husband) is crying Rick has no idea why, and no way to stop it.

 

“You are such a wonderful girl. I know. I _know_ that there's no way you can know about Ava, no one knows about Ava, but damn am I convinced that you somehow you just know.” Daryl says gently, with the soft voice Rick came here to hear, but not like this. He hadn't wanted to hear that voice when he sounds so sad.

 

Judith looks up at him. She looks at him with a confused, but also concerned expression.

 

“Okay okay, I've said too much not to tell you about her so I might as well..” He says, as he sits down on the couch, positioning her in the way that she knows it's story time.

 

“Let me tell you about Ava, my daughter.”  
  
Rick's stomach does several _thousand_ back flips and his heart feels like it's crawling up his throat, but at the same time his mind is a whirlpool of questions. _Daryl has a daughter? Where's her mother? Where is she now? Is she dead? How did she die? How did he not know that Daryl Dixon was a father long before Judith came around?_ He tells his mind to shut up, that he will get his answers if he listens to the story.

 

“Ava was one of the happiest little babies I had ever met. Or held, or even been near. There was no baby happier than her, except maybe you. But she also cried as if the world would end if she didn't get what she wanted. When she was your age, she did exactly what you're doing now. Just like clockwork, she'd wake up at three in the morning, on the dot. Just like you're doing right now. Four nights in a row. Now here's something that most people don't know about me; I am the biggest believer in fate. This, it's not a coincidence.” He stops to take a breath, but he also takes the opportunity to kiss the top of her forehead. He chases her little hands with his, until he finally catches them, and places them on her lap, and continues.

 

“I know why you're crying.” He starts softly. “You're crying for your mother. Ava did exactly the same thing, every night at 3AM she'd wake up crying for her something she can't have; her ma. Laura had died in child birth. It was too late for her to get an epidural, it could of hurt Ava if she did, and she refused to do that. The pain had been too much for her though, and she slipped into a coma, never to open her eyes again. When Ava first started to wake up she would cry and cry and cry, I had no idea how to stop it. Until I started to talk about Laura, just to myself at first, but when I did that she stopped crying enough to listen, an' I thought if she was missing her mother, I should tell Ava about her. I did and she stopped crying completely, listening to the story as if it would save the world. She'd always stop fussing once I told her all about Luara, and then by the time I finished, she'd fallen asleep. Now I don't know much about your mother, so your daddy's gonna have to do that. But It'll work, I know it will. But ya gotta know something Judith, you're always gonna miss your ma. It ain't ever gonna go away. You're gonna find yourself wantin' to know every single detail about her, an' sometimes your daddy, or your brother won't be able to talk about her, 'cause it'll be too difficult. An' maybe you won't understand why, you just gotta be patient. Ava always wanted to about her mother. It's bitter sweet. Her first was daddy, and her last word was mummy.” He says sadly. No amount of hiding and acting now could change the fact that it is obvious that Daryl is crying.

 

Judith has fallen asleep in his arms, and for the first time tonight she's peaceful.

 

“An' look it that, it worked, jus' like it did with Ava” He says, sadness but also a hint of happiness lacing his voice.

 

Rick, who at this point is crying himself, realises that now that Judith is sleeping, Daryl will be making his way back to their cell. Despite having about a million unanswered questions about 'Laura' and 'Ava', Rick knows that Daryl won't appreciate it if he finds out if Rick had heard all of that. If he really wants to know, he'll wait, because in his own time Daryl will tell him. _At least he's talking about it to someone._ Rick thinks.

 

For now though, he sneaks back into his cell and crawls under his covers, and waits for Daryl Dixon, the man of many mysterious, to crawl into bed with him, wrap his arms around Rick, and fall asleep.

 

And soon enough Rick falls asleep too.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Hey guys, bet you didn't think it would be that sad, what a plot twist amirite?
> 
> Also does anyone have any suggestions on what I should write next?


End file.
